Improvement in electric auto-pneumatic water-indicators



A. GERARD. Electric Auto-Pneumatic Water Indicator.

No. 205,539. Patented July 2,1878.

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ARISTIDE GERARD, or NE W ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELECTRIC AUTO-PNEUMATIC WATER-iNDICATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 205,539, dated July 2,187-"; application filed January 28, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARISTIDE GERARD, of New Orleans, in the parish ofOrleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain Improvements inAuto-Pneumatic ater-Indicators, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsand the letters of reference marked thereon, making part of thisspecification, in which Figure 1 is a front View, parts being removed.Fig. 2 is a rear view, and Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of thetube containing the mercury.

The nature of my invention consists in a simple and effectivearrangement for the almost instantaneous detection of the presence ofwater in the holds of vessels, notice of the danger being given andrecorded by the in dicator at any desired place from the point protectedby the apparatus in the hold, or any compartment thereof.

The construction and operation of my invention are as follows:

A is the frame, to which the different features of the mechanism aresecured. In the upper section of this frame is secured the bell A, andimmediately below the hell are the magnets B B. O O are the armatures,to which are secured the clappers c c. D D are tubes located on eachside of the frame and in the lower section thereof. The upper ends ofthese tubes are secured to the frame by means connected with the tubes EE, which contain the mercury. c e are needles, which pass down into thetubes D D respectively, being adjustable by means of the screws 6 c, orany other suitable means. From the fact that these needles areadjustable, it allows their points to be set so near to themercury-column that the slightest pressure of water upon the air in thecylinder G will complete the connection and cause the alarm to sound.These needles 6 0 pass through the binding-posts 6 0 F is the switch,which is pivoted at f. E E are the tubes which contain the mercury, andare bent in the form shown in Fig. 3. c c are binding-posts, which areconnected with the armatures O O by means of screws 0 0 c c are thebinding-posts of the arniatures O O.

On the rear side of the frame A, as shown in Fig. 2, to each of thetubes E E is secured a tube, g. From each of the tubes 9 g extendflexible air-tight tubes g 9 which are connected with cylinders G, onlyone of which is shown. These cylinders G are open at the bottom for thefree passage of water therein, and may be located in differentcompartments of the hold of the vessel. A short distance above theirbottom they are provided with a perforated plate, N, or other suitabledevice, to prevent debris or other matter from collecting in thecylinders and preventing their suc cessful operation. it h are theconnections between the binding-posts c 0 and the magnets B B. h h arethe connections between the binding-posts e c of the adjustable needles6 e and the binding-posts c c. k k are the connections between thebinding-posts c c of the armatures O O and the magnets B B, and k k arethe connections between the armatures O O and the switch F.

L is a button, which is connected with the binding-post L of the batteryby the band I. m is a band, which is connected with the hinding-post Mof the battery.

The mercury in the tube E is connector with the band m by means of thewire 0 and the mercury in the tube E is connected with the band at bymeans of the wire 0%.

H H are graduated scales, located respectively in the rear of the tubesD D, and indi cate the rise and fall of the water after the alarmisgiven and the attention of the person in charge is called to the factthat there is water in the hold of the vessel.

The operation is as follows: For the detec tion of water in any one ofthe compartments of the hold of the vessel, one of the cylinders G, openat the bottom and connected from its interior with one of the indicatorsD D through one of the extensible flexible air-tight tubes g 9 is placedin that compartment. As soon as any ingress of water takes placesurrounding the cylinder G the atmospheric air thus confined issubmitted to the vertical pressure and density of that water, no matterto what degree that may be. The air so compressed transmits thatpressure to the indicator with which the cylinder is connected throughits extensible flexible air-tight tube. That pressure isreceived uponthe surface of the mercury contained in one of the branch tubes E,depressing it in that branch in proportion to the amount of hydrostaticpressure in the hold, and raising it in the opposite branch of thebended tube E to a height corresponding to the hydrostatic pressure onthe air in the cylinder in the bottom of the hold.

The use of the mercury has two objects, one to record and indicate theprogress of the Water, the other to close the electric circuit with thebattery. The circuit is closed by means of the adjustable needle E.

The needle can be set at any height to give the alarm, and, beingadjustable, can be set so close to the mercury that the presence ofalmost the slightest quantity of water in the cylinder G will cause themercury to rise and give the alarm. The presence of water beingdetected, the ringing of the bell A can be stopped at will bydisconnecting the switch January, 1878.

A. GERARD.

lVitnesses:

J. S. LANPHIER, J. W. HAMILTON JOHNSON.

